Method of and apparatus for perforating glass bodies



Feb. 7, 1939. -c. E. HAHN ET AL ,1

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORATING GLASS BODIES Filed March. 18, 1936' 8 Z VI.

l'nvehcorsz- Clarence E. Hahn,

. he Attor'neg.

;au.| F u y Th Fr" Patented Feb. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF APPARATUS FOR PERFORATING GLASS BODIES Application March 18, 1936, Serial No. 69,522

'7 Claims.

Our invention relates to glass working and more particularly to a method and apparatus for perforating glass bodies.

According to our invention, glass bodies such as bulbs, are perforated by heating a portion of the glass body to render it plastic and then applying suction to the said heated portion to suck it in and form an opening therein. A tool may then be inserted into the opening to smooth the edges thereof. This procedure has proven to be very satisfactory for perforating glass bulbs where perforation by heating and piercing with a plunger was unsuccessful. Further features and advantages of our invention will appear from the following description and from the drawing.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a machine comprising our invention, and Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive are sections through some of the heads thereof showing the various manufacturing steps.

The machine, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a turret I having a plurality of heads II located thereon adjacent the periphery. The heads II are each adapted to carry a glass bulb I 2 which is placed therein at one of the positions in the fore part of the turret I0. As shown in Fig. 2, the neck I4 of the bulb I2 drops into an aperture I3 in the turret I0 and the bulbous portion of said bulb I2 adjacent the neck I4 rests on a correspondingly shaped seating portion I5 at the upper end of the aperture I3. The remainder of the bulb I2 fits snugly in a tube I6 which is mounted on the turret I0.

The turret III is turned in a counter-clockwise direction intermittently by suitable mechanism (not shown) so that all the heads are advanced in turn through each of a series of operating positions. At the first two of these positions the side of the bulb I2 is heated by flames from burners I1 and I8 which gain access to the bulb I2 through a hole I8 in the tube I6. The heat softens the glass of the bulb I2 and at the next position, as shown in Fig. 3, a tubular punch I9 is moved into engagement with the softened part to shape it. The end of the punch I9 is tapered so that a funnel-like indentation 20 is made in the bulb I2 and is provided with a blunt end or bottom. The blunt end is sucked in by a vacuum created in the passage 2I which runs the full length of the punch I9 and is connected through a hose 22 to a source of vacuum. The glass wall of the bulb I2 is drawn into a bubble by the vacuum and, upon being cooled by the metal punch I9, it is largely broken and sucked out through the punch I9 and hose 22. The punch I9 is now withdrawn and bulb I2 indexed to another position. Following the punching or perforating operation, a second punch 234s inserted into the indentation in the bulb I2 with sufficient force to break the remainder of the bubble away, leaving a clean and 5 smooth aperture as shown in Fig. 4. In the particular instance shown, both punch I9 and punch 23 are fastened to a slide 24 which is moved in and out in the ways in a stationary bracket 25 by mechanism (not shown).

Further indexing carries the bulb I2 before a similar set-up of apparatus which indents and perforates the top of said bulb I2. This apparatus first heats the top of the bulb I2 with the flames from burners 26 and 21 and then indents the bulb I2 at 28 as before with'a punch 29 as shown in Fig. 5. The excess glass is broken away by a punch 30 as shown in Fig. 6. Punches 29 and 30 are fastened to a slide 3| which is moved in ways in a stationary bracket 32 by mechanism (not shown).

The bulbs I2 are unloaded by a jet of air from a nozzle 33 which is directed up through the openings I3 in the turret at the bulb I2 so that it is blown out of the turret head, and by a nozzle 34 which blows the bulbs I2 into a chute 35.

The particular type of bulb illustrated in the drawing is adapted to be used for the manufacture of vaporizer devices which contain a heater or filament which is heated by an electric current, similar to an incandescent lamp.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of perforating a glass body which comprises heating a portion thereof to render it plastic, applying suction to said heated portion to suck it in and form an opening therethrough, and then inserting a tool into said opening to smooth the edges thereof.

2. An apparatus for perforating 'glass bodies 4 comprising a holder for a glass body, means for heating a portion of said glass body to render it plastic, a-tube, means for moving an end'of said tube against said heated portion of said glass body, means for creating a suction in said tube to suck in the heated portior. of the glass body engaged thereby and form an opening therethrough,

a punch, and means for inserting the end of said punch through said opening to smooth the edges thereof.

3. An apparatus for perforating glass bodies comprising a holder for a glass body, means for heating a portion of said glass body to render it plastic, a tubular punch having a tapered end, means for moving said end of said punch asainst said heated portion of said glass body to indent it, means for creating a suction in said tubular' punch to suck in the bottom of said indentation and form an opening therethrough, a punch, and means for inserting the end of said punch through said opening to smooth the edges thereof.

4. An apparatus for perforating glass bodies comprising a turret, constructed and arranged to be intermittently indexed, a plurality of holders for said glass bodies on said turret, means disposed adjacent the path of travel of said holders for heating a portion of each of said glass bodies to render it plastic, a tube mounted adjacent the, path of travel of said holders, means for moving an end of said tube against the heated portion of a glass body in one of said holders, means for creating a suction in said tube to suck in the heated portion of the glass body engaged thereby and form an opening therethrough, a punch disposed adjacent the path of travel of said holders, and means for inserting the end of said punch through said opening in said glass body to smooth the edges thereof.

5. An apparatus for perforating glass bodies comprising a turret, constructed and arranged to be intermittently indexed, a plurality of holders for said glass bodies on said turret, means disposed adjacent the path of travel of said holders for heating a portion of each of said glass bodies to render it plastic, a tubular punch having a tapered end mounted adjacent the path of travel of said holders, means for moving said end of said punch against the heated portion of a glass body to indent it, means for creating a suction in said tubular punch to suck in the bottom of said indentation and form an opening therethrough, a punch disposed adjacent the path of travel of said holders, and means for inserting the end of said punch through .said opening in said glass body to smooth the edges thereof;

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a horizontally disposed turret constructed and arranged to be intermittently indexed, a plurality of holders for glass bulbs on said turret, each of said holders being constructed to enclose a substantial portion of the bulb held thereby to prevent removal of the bulb by lateral movement thereof relative to the holder, means disposed adjacent the path of travel of said holders for heating and reshaping said bulbs, a chute disposed adjacent said turret at a delivery position, a vertically disposed nozzle located below a holder at said delivery position and adapted to deliver a jet of air to blow the bulb in said holder upward out of said holder, and a horizontally disposed nozzle located above said holder and adapted to deliver a jet of air to blow said bulb into said chute.

7. An apparatus for perforating glass bulbs comprising a turret constructed and arranged to be intermittently indexed, a plurality of holders for said glass bulbs on said turret, means disposed adjacent the path of said holders for heating a portion of the wall of each of said glass bulbs to render it plastic, a reciprocating slide located at one side of the path of said holders, a tubular suction punch and a finishing punch mounted on said slide so as to be opposite to successive holders and constructed and arranged to move against the heated portions of glass bulbs in said holders so that said suction punch forms an indentation in said glass bulb and sucks in the bottom thereof to form an opening therethrough and said flnishing punch engages the opening in the adjacent bulb to smooth the edges thereof.

CLARENCE E. HAHN. PAUL P. SHEBEL. 

